SMART Goals Aren't Good Enough

When a tool is inspired by a clever acronym, you've got to wonder how robust it actually is. SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Sounds great, but that's actually not enough.

Is it a good goal, or a 'should' goal?

Lots of business goals end up in business plans because of 'should'. People think, everyone else is focused on customer satisfaction, so I should too. Or they see their peers setting goals like becoming a million dollar business, or having a hundred opportunities in the pipeline, and 'should' signs them up to these goals too.

How many of your goals came out of feeling that you should? One goal you truly want is more valuable to your business than a dozen you feel ho-hum about.

If a goal doesn't compel you, then it will burden you.

If you want to change something, which is what having a goal presumes, you have to feel a white heat of desire, as Napoleon Hill describes in 'Think And Grow Rich'. Setting goals means you're changing something. And change, quite frankly, is very difficult to initiate and even harder to sustain.

Without the raw energy of desire, you simply won't have enough emotional fuel to sustain the focus and stick-to-it-ness to pursue your goals. Without desire, your goals will fall off your radar, they'll elude you and punish you with feelings of guilt, failure and despondency.

To evoke that white heat of desire, you need more than a bland and clinical goal statement.

How inspiring is this: Increase new leads to 25 per week by December 2009?

Yaaawwwwn. Sure, it's specific and measurable and achievable and relevant and time-bound. But do you feel any emotion stirring in you as you read it? Do those words excite you? Do they compel you to act in pursuit of the goal? Do they paint a vivid picture of how your business will be so much better when the goal is reached?

Well, what about these words: By December 2009, each week at least 25 enthusiastic and curious customers-to-be give us the opportunity to knock their socks off with our free email tips that rock their world?

To evoke that white heat of desire, write your goals with vivid, sensory-rich words.

You'll use more ink, and your business plan might go an extra page longer. But filled with sensory-rich and compelling goal statements, it won't be sitting on the shelf gathering dust. It will be a daily reminder and inspiration of the awesome future you're creating. And it will do what it should: keep you focused on creating and sustaining the change you really want.

TAKE ACTION:

Take another look at your business goals, particularly the ones you're not making any progress toward, and give them a sensory make over to evoke your desire.

Stacey Barr is a specialist in performance measurement, helping micro and small business owners to move their business results from where they are, to where they want them to be, using powerful, transformational measures. To grab your free copy of Stacey's Special Report "7 Clues to Measure What Matters In Micro & Small Business", visit http://www.staceybarr.com/smallbusiness
By Stacey Barr

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Set Your Goals So They Are Reachable
By Rodney Todd
With the way that the economy has took a turn for the worse, a individual that is in the job market or maybe starting your own business, a person should not set goals that are not attainable. Whenever a person does this, at the beginning it is very tough and sometimes seems impossible. A successful person never gives up, and has probably faced defeat on several occasions. A successful person has to learn how to accept defeat and learn from it. A person's mindset must always remain upbeat. Never let a defeat get you down. Don't expect not to achieve your goals. Always expect to achieve more than you set for yourself.

When you set a goal, don't let family members, friends, or anyone else help you set your goals. They can make them un-reachable. Don't let anyone try to make you someone else. Nobody is the same. What you have to offer is completely different from the next person. Always let yourself set the goals. You know what you can and can not achieve. You always have yourself in perspective and no one else does.

Don't underestimate what you can do. You could be afraid of failure. You should always be optimistic. If you think that you are going to fail, then it might stop you from taking a shot and having enough confidence to achieve what you need to. If you always underestimates what you can do, it will actually make your progress not go as fast. If the goals are not reachable, and you never complete them, this can ultimately lead to you not succeeding. You always want everything reachable, because if you reach what you set you to do, then it gives you a sense of pride. Always stay upbeat, because this will ultimately help you succeed. A person is going to stumble, but you need to know that it is a learning process on the way to success.

Rodney Todd is part of a top internet marketing team of mentors, and has a passion for helping others achieve their goals, dreams and aspirations. To learn more about Rodney Todd go to http://www.christmentor.com

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Creating Our Destiny With Goal Setting and Goal Attainment - 5 Proven Tips For Manifesting Your Goal

Can goal setting create our destinies? Well, let's take a look at a few examples:
Bill Gates had a goal of providing easy to use software for PC's, Oprah Winfrey's goal was to bring quality entertainment projects into production, Anthony Robbins' goals included finding out why we do what we do and to help those in need of food and now feeds 500,000 through his foundation and finally, one of my personal favorite stories, Herb Brooks, had a goal of winning a Gold Medal at the Winter Olympics coaching the United States in Ice Hockey. All these phenomenal people created their destinies by setting and achieving goals.

Setting goals and attaining them is how we can create the destiny of our choice.
Why? Without goals, we are merely leaving our life's destiny to chance - similar to a falling leaf from a tall tree on a windy day. The wind will take the leaf wherever it blows. The leaf does not have control of its direction and ultimate destination. Does this analogy imply that goals give us control? The answer is absolutely! If our daily goals are to get up, get to work and get through the day so we can make a living, what destiny will this create? I believe it's a destiny that follows that of the leaf in the previous example. We would be letting life blow us helplessly in a direction we probably do not want deep down. A great way to begin to take control of our destiny is to utilize goal setting. When we begin to manifest or attain our goals, this will create a new, desirable destiny that is in tune with our life's purpose and one that we are in control of as well.

How can we begin to do this? Here are 5 easy to use, proven tips for manifesting your goals and thus taking control of your destiny:

1. Decide specifically what is realistically attainable for you in the areas of (health, relationships, finances, career, spiritual, family, emotional etc.)

Why all areas of our lives? I have found, that to live a fulfilled life, we want to balance success through each significant area of our life. Remember, success in these areas differs for all of us. The point is to know exactly what you want and take action to make it happen.

2. Get leverage on yourself - you must decide that you want to manifest the goals and that you will not settle for anything less.

What does leverage do? Leverage means that you have hit a threshold that says, "I want to change this NOW." When we reach this threshold, we will take action on our goals. Remember, goals without action are just a wish. To help get leverage on yourself, next to each one of your goals, write down what will happen if you don't take action. Ask yourself, how does that make me feel by not taking action? What and who would suffer if you don't take action? If you didn't take action, what would you look like in 5-10 years from now? Would you be wishing you had taken action? In addition, ask yourself what will the benefits be of taking action. What kind of person would it make you? How would taking action and manifesting your goals make you feel? How does your self-esteem and self confidence feel now that you have achieved your goals? Use these types of questions to motivate and inspire yourself to get in a resourceful state. It will empower you to take action and move you towards achieving your goals.

3. Set a completion date and time for each goal. When will the goal be realized?

How does this help? Making your goal time specific will help you know if you are on track to achieving your goal. Sticking to your deadline will motivate you to take consistent action. In addition, knowing when you want to complete your goal is important because it is specific and gives your mind clarity of when it has to be realized. This is a power in itself. There is an old saying that says, "clarity is power".

4. Create a plan for each goal and take action everyday in small steps.

Once again, goals are just wishes without action. If you do not take action on a goal, it could mean that you really don't want it bad enough, or there may be a fear blocking you. What causes this? At times, a goal will look so big to us, that our minds tend to convince us somehow that we really don't want the goal. We also feel afraid to fail, so then why would it be worth pursuing the goal anyway? Don't get caught up in this game your mind plays with you. What I have found is happening, is that our mind is associating a lot of pain to working towards something it is not certain that we can attain. Do you think that the four individuals noted in the beginning of this article let that stop them? It's obvious that they did not let fear of the unknown or failure stop them. Why? I believe that they had a "whatever it takes" attitude. They did not let fear get in their way.

Taking action is an obvious step, but why do we need a plan? A plan is like a roadmap. Creating a plan for each goal and then taking small, workable steps each day towards completing them will make your goal much more manageable. How does this help? When you write down a plan for goal attainment, the chances that you will follow through and take action increase. Why? You now know what action you need to take. Isn't it easier to take action when you know exactly what you need to do? This is the power of clarity I mentioned earlier. Knowing what to take action on is so powerful, that you will begin to create an unstoppable momentum that will drive you towards goal attainment!

5. Notice if the actions you are taking are giving you the results you want.

This is how you measure whether or not you are achieving your goal. If you are not moving towards achieving your goal, you need to change your actions. Why? If you keep taking the same actions, you will usually create the same results. The cause and effect relationship between your actions and results has to be monitored so you can change them to produce the results you want. You wouldn't keep spending money on advertising about your product in the newspaper if it yielded you zero sales right? After you see that this method is not working, change it until you find something that does work. An effective way to speed up this process is to talk to people that have already gotten the results that you seek. Ask them how they did it and replicate their efforts!

These 5 steps in setting goals can help you create a destiny of your choice. Do you want to be like the leaf, or do you want to be the captain of your ship and take it to the chosen destination? The choice is always ours to make. The difference will be evident by comparing our overall level of happiness in the past, present and future years to come. Moving towards a destiny of our choice will create a happier, joyful and fulfilled life.

Start today by thinking about the kind of person you are. Are you happy with yourself, what you have achieved, who you are becoming and what and who you are dedicating you life to? If you are, that is great! If not, I have a question for you: To have, be and do what you want, are you willing to do something about it? If so, I challenge you to use these 5 steps as a start and seek out additional material to help you on your journey of change. A simple quote from Anthony Robbins book Personal Power always pops into my head when I think about goals - "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten." In other words, as Jim Rohn says, "For things to change, we have got to change." How do we change? Take control by setting goals and working towards attaining them. It's better than being blown around and never knowing where you will end up.

George Tsoukalas
George Tsoukalas - EzineArticles Expert Author

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Taking Small Steps Towards Pleasure in Your Life
By Edward Leyton M.D.
People frequently talk about steps in analogies and metaphors. "One small step for man -- one great leap for mankind", said Neil Armstrong as he stepped off the Apollo space craft on to the moon surface. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step'" said Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu. And the truth of the matter is that we can't get anywhere without taking steps, even small ones. In fact, it's one of the first things that we learn, after we learn to stand on our own two feet -- taking that first step. And look at how many steps you have taken since then!

We take steps in order to get from one place to another -- we take steps in order to get from home to work, from one side of the room to the other, from one place to the next in our lives, -- we simply can't get along without taking steps. So what's the problem when we take a step towards our own health and well-being by taking time to treat ourselves well at a spa for example? Why stop there? Why not keep taking steps after that big step that we have taken for the day, overnight, or weekend visit?

Most of the time it seems people say - "I just don't have time" to take those steps to look after myself out there in the 'real world'. But when you think about it, how much time does it to really take to take a step? It might need more effort to take one big step, but in fact it takes very little time to make several small ones.

Here is one step that you can take to continue the good feelings that you had when you say decided to have a massage, or even a warm bath. Remember when you were lying on that massage table, or in that bath? Just let your mind go back there now and remember it - right now remember the smells, remember the sensations in your body, remember the feelings that you had, remember the sounds. You may not know this, but your unconscious mind remembers every experience that you have ever had, and faithfully stores it away so that you can access that 'file' whenever you need to -- like right now for example. Visualize this in your mind, hear the words that were being said to you, feel the feelings that you felt. Take just a moment to re-experience that feeling, and while you are at it, just take a couple of deep breathes and let go of any tension you might have in your body. You felt good then and you can feel good now. Your body and mind will rejoice in the re-experiencing of that moment - and it's a small step - and you can take many of those during the day, because you know what? They only take 30 seconds or a minute, and everyone has time for that. All you have to do is just be aware that you can, and make the choice. Enjoy those small moments often.

Dr. Leyton uses Humanistic Neurolinguistic Psychology (HNLP) and the unconscious mind paying special attention to the sensory cues from you the client, and using the language of suggestion to re-wire your old, unwanted patterns at the unconscious level

At http://www.arfe.ca and http://www.integrativemedicineclinic.ca you can access resources to help you change your mind - now. Through high quality CDs, MP3s, and phone coaching Dr. Leyton uses his 30 years of experience to help you

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Effective Goal Setting - 4 No-Brainer Steps to Achieving Your Goals Faster Than You Thought Possible

In all the years I have been working with Leaders, I am always amazed at just how many of them believe that their business can succeed without going through the process of annual goal setting.

It saddens me to see otherwise savvy business people headed for disaster because they haven't identified exactly what they want to achieve in the coming year. And the worst part is: it just doesn't have to happen!

You can avoid their fate by following these 4 No-Brainer Steps to achieving your goals faster than you thought possible. This process is equally as effective in both your business and personal life.

1. Identify what it is that you want. Write it down. Ask yourself questions like, "What do I want to accomplish in the next year?", "How much do I want to earn or save?", "How many clients do I want to have?" or "What do I want that I do not have in my life now?" Think of questions that will help you narrow down what it is that you want to achieve, then write down your answers. Be specific, don't just write "make more money", but instead write "achieve annual revenue of $100,000 in the coming year." Remember, the best goals are SMART goals; they are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and have time frames.
2. Prioritize your goals. You want to put your time and effort into those things that matter to you most. Some of your goals may even seem to conflict with each other, it's up to you to decide which ones are more important to achieve first. Don't worry about how you are going to achieve all of your goals at this point, in fact, if your list is really ambitious you probably won't achieve them all within the next year. That's why you should put your time and effort into achieving those goals that are most important.
3. Flush out the details and create your action plan. Start at the top of your list and for each goal; list those actions that you can take that will move you towards accomplishing that goal. Assign time frames to each action step to help keep you motivated and accountable throughout the year.
4. Create a Vision Board. Keep your goals with your action steps somewhere where you will see it daily. A Vision Board is a visual representation of your goals made using your own photos, as well as pictures and words cut from magazines or other printed material. Visualize yourself daily achieving your goals. Don't just see yourself reaching that goal, but also try to create the feelings you will experience when you have reached your goal. No matter how long you have been in business, you can benefit from effective goal setting.

Successful leaders understand that following a good goal setting process is critical for their overall success. If you haven't set your goals for this year yet, there is no time to waste. Follow these steps and you will be well on your way to success!

Kathy Ryan guides business leaders worldwide to develop their skills and identify and refine their authentic leadership style. Take the first steps towards becoming a high impact leader absolutely free by downloading the "Blueprint for Leadership Success" special report at http://www.PinnacleCoachingGroup.com
By Kathy M Ryan

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Goal Setting Advice For People Who Already Forgot About Their New Year's Resolutions
By Cameron Carter
This is the time of year when your New Year's Resolutions are under assault. With a busy and perhaps stressful life, your idealistic Resolutions tend to fall by the wayside. There's a good chance that by now, your Resolutions are beginning to falter assuming you haven't dropped them altogether already.

This happens to many year after year. Have you ever noticed yourself reusing last years resolutions? Or even Resolutions from several years before? You have the motivation when it's January first and as the year goes along your motivation fades.

Why is it that so many people never reach their New Year's Resolutions? The answer is that their goals aren't clear or attainable enough. Following are tips on how to make good New Year's Resolutions and how to attain them.

BE SPECIFIC

Instead of setting a vague goal like "lose weight", go into detail. How many pounds do you want to lose? How fast do you want to lose them? What will you need to achieve that? Answering these questions results in a goal more like "Join a gym, start a diet, and lose five pounds a month until I've lost 50 pounds." Right there, you've got a specific goal, broken down into increments, and know what you have to do to attain it.

MAKE ACHIEVABLE GOALS

When you right down a goal, pause and seriously consider if it is achievable. Goals like "save a million dollars", "write a best-selling novel", and "build my own house" are probably not even achievable not in just one year, anyway. These are more long-term, lifelong goals. These are good goals to have but don't put them on your one-year New Year's Resolution lists.

BE REALISTIC

Ask yourself: Do I have control over this matter? Is my goal realistic? If not, then your goal will never be met.

Say you want to lose 100 lbs. Well that possible, but if your goal is to lose 100 lbs in 3 months, well that's not realistic or healthy by any means. 100 lbs would be more like a one or two year goal.

WRITE GOALS DOWN and READ THEM DAILY

Ok, so this is beginning to sound a little like the goal setting lectures you used to get in high school - that you probably ignored because they were so boring! But actually, writing down your goals transforms them from an idea you are considering, to a real goal you have set for yourself to achieve. It helps organize your thoughts and serves as an aid to memory.

Finally, you need to make sure you focus on them DAILY so you keep your focus on these goals. With so much going on in our lives these days it's easy to get side tracked. Put them in a place you'll see them everyday so you don't forget to take action toward them. Put them on the mirror in the bathroom, or on the fridge door. This will keep your goals fresh in your memory at all times.

How did a young rebellious kid go from flat broke to making $97,534 in just 13 months? Learn about making money from affiliate marketing here or how to create passive income here. http://www.SuperSonicSuccess.com

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Goal Setting Success - 3 Powerful Tips
By Bryan Appleton
Setting goals is the first step in really leading a successful life. If you really want to be able to achieve and accomplish all of your desires and live your life at the highest level possible, you have to make a habit of setting and achieving your goals. One of the secrets to being able to do this is to really get in touch with your self and know what you want in your life. What do you want to do and what direction do you want to take your life in?

Here are three powerful tips that can help you to get started:

1. Know what you do not want. Many people have a hard time getting in touch with what they really want but by making a list of things that you do not want, you can begin to identify what it is that you really do desire.

2. Set goals that challenge and inspire you. You must make sure that you are excited by whatever aims that you have in life. If they do not leave you feeling a sense of excitement or desire, then it is probably not a strong enough objective and it will be much easier to fail.

3. Do not let even the smallest of setbacks keep you from really pursuing what you want . Many people will give up at the first slip or sign of adversity. If you really want something, you cannot behave in this way.

You can live the life that you want and achieve anything that you desire if you learn how and keep that fire lit inside of you!

Learn how to attract love, money, or happiness or all three in YOUR LIFE NOW! Go to http://www.successfulfather.com/signup/ and SIGN up for the FREE newsletter and BOOKMARK the site and return as often as you can!

You can attract the life that you truly desire! Learn HOW! Law of Attraction Secrets Bryan Appleton is an investor/entrepreneur who has dedicated himself to teaching others how to achieve their dream life. He is also a proud single father with one son. You can publish this article as long as you leave it intact and in full as well as keeping the url link clickable

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Don't Let the Big Goal Crush You - Set Small Winning Goals!

I've been a goal setter since '83 when I played high school basketball in Kenton, Ohio. Coach Davis was passionate about visualization and setting goals. I really liked this idea of reaching a goal that I set.

So, I made my goal to be the MVP of my team. I was already co-captain and had a reputation as a tough, consistent player. So, how did I do on my goal?

I was the leading scorer, leading rebounder and had the highest field goal percentage.

Got my goal, right?

No.

Actually it went to Coach Davis' 6th man (or woman in our case.) Hey, sometimes you're the bug and sometimes the windshield... I was definitely the bug! Goal setting didn't really work out that year, but I learned a tremendous amount from that experience.

Set Your Goal, But Don't Put All Your Eggs In Your Goal Basket
Just like my MVP goal, it was all that I had at that time. One goal and when I didn't receive the MVP, it crushed me for way longer than it should have. If I would've had many short term goals I could have just moved on with a little disappointment.

Set Goal You Know You Can Achieve Within The Month
I set new goals every month. I write about 10-15 short-term goals for one month at a time.

Here's a different thought..instead of putting a $100,000 goal out there for the month, how about $1 when you achieve that you move the bar to $10, then $100, $1000, $10,000. Set goals that you know that you will achieve within the next week. I see people especially new to a home business that expect to have a $100,000 a month right away. Take the monkey off your back! Don't put so much pressure on yourself.

Small Is Better
Give smaller bits of the goal. Break it down so that you can actually see yourself achieving the goal pretty quickly. It reminds me of the joke, "How does an ant eat an elephant? One bite at a time." For example if my goal is to add 500 people to my free 7 day ecourse, I'll write it like this:
My list:
100
200
300
400
500

Then I'll put a check mark by each number when I hit the goal. I expect to hit the 500 and beyond during the month.

Celebrate Every Win
Writing these smaller goals, you are writing goals that you know you can achieve. Therefore, you are constantly celebrating.

Who doesn't love to celebrate? It makes you feel good. And we know that when we feel good, we are attracting wonderful things to ourselves! This is Law of Attraction working in our lives. Enjoy your win!

If you face a setback, fix it, forget it and move on. Don't focus on it.

When we focus on our losses and setbacks, all the things we can't do, we are using the Law of Attraction, this time creating negative things, more doubt, more setbacks. Focus on what you want and all the small wins in your life.

Don't Knock The Significance Of A Pencil Check mark
A check mark, a gold star, or a happy face checking off your goal once you reach it, feels great! You see the visual evidence that you achieved it. There have been studies done on this, that a gold star or other goal marker creates a feeling in us of accomplishment and releases endorphins.

You Can Change Your Mind.
I think sometimes people don't want to set goals because they think of it as a "have-to" process. Goals are to be enjoyed. If you look at a goal and it no longer feels good to you, change it! Sometimes, during the month, I'll add new goals and get rid of ones that I am not passionate about any longer.

Regardless of the endorphins, I know I look forward, yes...look forward to putting a check mark by my goal! That's why the 10-15 goals gives you a chance to constantly reach your goals.

Set your new goals. I'd love to hear how the smaller, short-term goals work for you. I know they work for me!

Tammi Putnam is a successful coach and mentor in her booming personal development business for over 6 years. Along with her husband, Bill, they created http://www.LawofAttraction123.com designed to assist others in their Law of Attraction growth. Sign Up For Our FREE 7 Day eCourse "Attracting Greatness!"
By Tammi Putnam

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Goal Setting at the Leadership Level
By Bryant Nielson

As a leader, you know one of your biggest responsibilities is to set the organization's direction and help it to achieve goals. You've laid out a mission and a vision for the organization and can talk about it at all levels. But should the goals that come from your level be ultra-specific, or should you create a set of general goals and allow the groups to help you meet them?

The first thing you must do is set a general vision for the organization. Without this general vision, all activity is lost in a cloud of uncertainty. The vision you set should be based in the reality of your environment and should be focused on how the organization will best service its clients. Your vision could be as general as, "to provide the highest level customer service in our industry, every time, with every customer". But at least you can be assured that each person, whether internal or external, will use that vision as an overarching theme for everything they do.

You've set the overall vision, but what about the goals within that vision? Is it up to you to create specific goals? In two words, yes and no. You must create some frame for the work that is going to occur over the next quarter, year, or even five years. For example, one of your goals for the organization may be to "increase market share to 50% over the next five years". Is the goal reasonable? Can the organization do it? Do you have the right people in place to execute the goal? If you answer yes to each question, you've got to sit back and try to let it happen. When it does, celebrate the results. When it doesn't, obtain input from the organization as to how they can be better prepared the next time. One of the other ways to help reach goals is to create a "stretch" environment, where celebration occurs for the increments of success. For example, you could say, "increase market share to 47% this year, 48% next year, 49% in 2011, and 50% in 2012". Each time the group hits a target, celebrate it as a step in the right direction.

The hardest part of this mentality is learning to curb your urge to be an "armchair quarterback". You should know how each group within the organization can help achieve the general goals you've set. You should also hold them accountable for the goals that their leader will set for them. But you've got to let them figure out how they can help the organization hit its goals - and let them run with it. In other words, make sure the leaders of each group know how to set direction on a smaller scale. Make sure those leaders know how to select and hire the right people to get the job done. And make sure you all stand out of their way when they get their momentum.

In this same manner, you must be aware of how the execution of your general goals will change based on the groups and the internal and external factors affecting them. Let them help you figure out how to let the goals evolve. Show them that you and your leadership team are open to suggestion, and that the people who do the work are the ones who generally have the best ideas on execution. The strategy you set, those general goals you lay out, should allow the groups to maneuver, use their expertise, and come up with new and improved ways of doing things.

By showing the organization that you are open to new ideas, you're encouraging the removal of traditional boundaries. When you set general goals for the organization, the groups will have to learn how they interact with other groups in order to keep the organization producing. In many organizations, especially large corporations, the walls around groups may have sometimes built up inadvertently and over lengths of time. Most of the time these walls are based on comfort, some fear, and the idea that the status quo is the best condition. As you show that you and your leadership team have removed walls, other groups will learn this, as well. Encourage groups to have cross-functional discussions on the execution of your general goals. In this environment, groups will maneuver to achieve, but you'll find that they may start maneuvering with each other, as well.

Set general goals and allow the organization to execute them. You'll see creativity, less boundaries, and an overall move to achieve your goals together.

Copyright 2009 Bryant Nielson. All Rights Reserved

Bryant Nielson - Learning & Development Expert - assists executives, business owners, and top performing sales executives in taking the leap from the ordinary to extraordinary. Bryant is a trainer, business & leadership coach, and strategic planner for many sales organizations. Bryant's 27 year business career has been based on his results-oriented style of empowering

Subscribe to his blog at: http://www.BryantNielson.com

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Goal Achievement

No one will ever argue with you that achieving one's goal takes determination and focus! You will find that anyone who is good at what they do absolutely loves it... what they do that is. So... is it because they are so good that they love doing it OR is it... because they love it, they do it so good?

Sometimes both but more than not... IT IS because THEY LOVE IT that they are so GOOD! See... when you love something you internalize it. You live it, breath it, feel it and it becomes you and you it. It is total focus and attention... these are the elements that create. Energy attracts energy at the level it is projected. That doesn't mean that you become unbalanced, it means that you have to give your goals their due attention from the inside out!

You become determined and because of that you achieve your goals... sometimes in stages but you achieve them. In fact in stages is the best way to start in your goal achievement so that the outer mind does not feel threatened.

Momentum is an important part of this. When you become laxed and have achieved your goals, there is a tendency to back slide. This is due to the lack of momentum or energy keeping movement forward which halts growth. It is like pushing a car, as you begin to push the car, it seems quite difficult to get it moving. As it begins to move forward it does not take as much energy to keep it moving... unless you choose the wrong terrain such as a hill or a mountain... right?

The trick is to plan the trip (the right terrain), apply the energy necessary (focus and attention) to accomplish the results and when it is accomplished set another goal immediately. You will find that if you use this principal, you will begin to achieve your goals faster and faster, no matter what they are.

Bill Sahli is a 37 year veteran X Competitive Bodybuilder, HIT Trainer, Author and Life Coach with almost 4 decades of experience. Bill is author of two High Intensity Training Books: "R U Serious? - The Foudation" and "High Intensity Powerbuilding - The Next Step"

"Contraction Vacuum Burns - 4 Minute Abs Anywhere" is a must have for a tight flat midsection. His Audio Teleseminar "High Intensity Mindset" along with his books can be found at http://billsahli.com

Bill is available for personal one on one HIT coaching & Lifecoaching. Not limited by location Bill coaches professionals and athletes all over the world via phone. Bill has trained bodybuilders, athletes, professions, the handicapped & both men and women. His amazing techniques save hours in the gym, with most clients training 15 - 30 minutes within a week, allowing them to reach their goals in record time. You can reach Bill online at http://billsahli.com
By Bill Sahli

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Goals Or Dreams? Which One is Better?
By Bryan Appleton
Just about everyone has dreams. We all do. But not everyone really has set forth conscious goals for themselves to pursue and to achieve in their lives. Why is this and is it better to have goals or is it better to have dreams?

Well, simply put, a goal is just a dream with a deadline. But, it is a tangible objective that you have committed yourself to pursuing and to learning how to make that objective become your reality. So, all in all, it is much more beneficial to set forth a specific goal than it is to just continue to have dreams.

One of the many reasons that people will not make any real attempt at pursuing what they really want in life is to save themselves from disappointment. You may have set forth a goal before in your life and for some reason or another did not accomplish it and now you get the feeling that it is better to not even try.

KEEP TRYING AND MAKE IT REAL...

You may save yourself from the disappointment, but you also guarantee that it will never become your reality if you never even try. And who knows? Maybe that one time in your life that you did fail, you were not aware of all of the tools or methods that you can use to really achieve that desire that you have.

You can stay on one side of the fence and never fail again by not even trying, or you can learn a way that creates a much better opportunity for you to really make something happen. The choice is yours.

Learn how to attract love, money, or happiness or all three in YOUR LIFE NOW! Go to http://www.successfulfather.com/signup/ and SIGN up for the FREE newsletter and BOOKMARK the site and return as often as you can! You can attract the life that you truly desire! Learn HOW!

Law of Attraction Secrets

Bryan Appleton is an investor/entrepreneur who has dedicated himself to teaching others how to achieve their dream life. He is also a proud single father with one son. You can publish this article as long as you leave it intact and in full as well as keeping the url link clickable

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Moving From Goal Setting to Goal Getting
By Rena Williams
Those of us that have been striving for change for quite some time are probably very familiar with setting goals. The actual setting has never seem to be a problem for most people. The problem mostly lie with how to achieve the goals in which we have set for ourselves. Surprisingly, many find themselves struggling with the move from goal setting to goal getting.

What's the proper way to set goals? This particular question usually surface from many people far and beyond. I've heard critics say, to reach your goals you must write them down. Still there are others who say, not to write your goals down, just keep them before your mind. Yet, still others believe and would tell you the only thing necessary to reach a goal is will power.

I've known people that have used each of these methods with success. The truth of the matter is there is no right or wrong way when it comes to setting a goal. In all reality writing has very little to do with achieving your goal.

According to Dr. Maxwell Maltz, the author of the classic Psycho-Cybernetics, says whether we reach a goal or not highly depends on how healthy our self-image appears to be. We must see a clear image of ourselves actually being, doing, or having what it is we are desiring. That image has to be translated very clearly to our servo-mechanism before any desirable goals will be accomplished. That's the bottom line.

Maltz goes on to say we were all created as human beings engineered for success. We all have access to a power greater than ourselves. so we should see ourselves as happy and successful people instead of unworthy and people of failure.

It's been proven over and over that will power along has little place in goal getting, because all will power is temporary. Our built in success mechanism always reaches for a target of something already in existence, either by steering us there or discovering it. This automatic mechanism is oriented toward the end results. As you supply your goal, it is great practice to think about the end results but never ever worry about how it will happen. That's a job for our automatic mechanism.

Another key rule for goal getting is never be afraid to make mistakes. You will indeed encounter some temporary failure, but that's a good thing. All goals are achieved by first receiving negative feedback. So, go ahead make the mistakes, then go forward and correct your course as you go.

Remember all skill learning requires trial and error before accomplishment. Correct and aim until you get the success you are after. Then remember each success, while letting go of the errors of the past. Always see yourself as being, doing, or having the very thing you desire. Then and only then will you have found the solution to moving from goal setting to goal getting.

Rena Williams is a dedicated success mentor. She has a passion for assisting others in acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary for success. Learn more about free training at http://SuccessMentorLive.com

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Methods of Self Improvement

I wanted to talk to you about methods of self improvement. There are a lot of people out there that live a life of mediocrity. They practically do the same thin everyday, hang out with the same people, work at the same job and that's all their life consists of. At some point you're going to ask if there is a little more
to life than the same old thing. There's a point where you're going to want to take more risks, take on more challenges and do things you've never done before. This is what self improvement is designed to help you with. I'm going to share with you some methods of self improvement that you can use to better yourself.

When I first heard of the concept of goal setting, I thought it was stupid. I thought to myself 'how can writing down a goal really help me?' Well, I learned why. Most of us get that feeling that we aren't living our life. We know that we should be doing something else and taking more risks, but we never know with what. We sort of get wrapped up with the problems of life that we forget what we want. Writing it down is the first step in a journey to create the goal. It's the first ACTION on the journey, so to something better.

Another one of my methods of self improvement is to limit our list of goals. You'll come up with a lot of things that you want to do, but creating the list doesn't get you anywhere. You eventually have to act. This is why it's important to limit the list. When it gets full, you'll have to complete something on the list to add another goal. Again this all seems sort of stupid from a logical point of view, but it just helps you mentally do things.

Learn more with the Self Help Ecourse Package
By Elle Nash

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Power of Focus
By Leanne Crain
When you think about setting and reaching goals, you must in turn consider focus. If you cannot keep your focus, it is very unlikely that you will ever reach your goal. However, when you focus on something - especially something you are passionate about - your creativity will flow and your mind will concentrate its power on that goal.

Think of it this way... you are on a road. You know where you want to go in the end, you have a picture of it, but you have no idea how to get there. You're not even sure the name of the place you're going. So as you're driving along, you may see signs, and pass them by without even knowing it. You'll probably make a few wrong turns. Also, as you're driving along, you may notice some antique stores. You stop to look in those. Then you notice some historical plaques, and decide those would be fun to read too. With all this in mind - how long will it take you to reach where you wanted to go in the first place?

Focus is like a road map. When you have focus, you have the map to get to where you are going. Focus will provide you with a clear destination, and allow you to map out how to get there. Focus will also keep you on track, and not allow you to get distracted along the way. If you let your attention constantly jump from one task to a different task, it will be very difficult to ever get anything done. Simply asking yourself every moment "is this the best thing I could be doing right now to get me to where I want to be", and planning your time accordingly, will assist you in setting your priorities.

Maintaining focus is not always an easy task. It is important you try to only focus on one thing at a time, and work hard at keeping your mind on the task at hand. In order to do this, immerse yourself in the topic of your goal. Learn about it, read magazines about it, talk about it, whatever you can to be as learned about it as you can. Keep it forefront in your mind. Write yourself notes and stick them up on your desk or fridge. Put your goal in your success journal, and plan out your weekly goals to meet the long term destination. Plan time each and every day to focus your mind on your goal and work on it.

The power of focus is unmistakeable. It is the compass that will lead you in the correct direction, and it will determine the success rate of your goal. Remember, as Peter McWilliams said "Our thoughts create our reality - where we put our focus is the direction we tend to go." Make sure you're focus is clear, and is laid out on the path you need it to be on.

Leanne Crain is a Marketing and Administrative Assistant for the business consulting company BizXcel which publishes Generating Greatness, the bi-weekly ezine for business professionals. If you are ready to push your business to new heights, make more money, save time and improve productivity, then get your FREE tips now at http://www.bizxcel.com


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Goals - To Achieve Them You Have to Set Them in the Fitness World and in Life!
By Brandon Richey

It doesn't matter if you are talking about life in general or your personal fitness and strength program, you must have goals set in order to have any measurement of achievement. Too many times I have asked people that have started a workout program what there goals are and they generally don't have anything in mind. Its almost as if they haven't thought about it until I asked them the question. With my experience with training athletes it has been easy because they all pretty much want to be bigger, faster, and stronger.

I have got to level with you when it comes to people that have success in fitness, life, family, and everything else. All of these people have set forth not just goals, but specific ones when it comes to making things happen. I like the idea of SPECIFIC goals when making achievement.

For instance, if you want to lose weight then don't just say I want to lose weight. Instead say that you want to lose 20 lbs and accomplish a certain feat of strength like being able to do 50 form perfect push-ups at one time all within a specified time frame. This detailed oriented goal setting is a great way to drive you to progress so you are not just wasting your time blindly going through the motions. Your weight-loss goals and strength goals will come much sooner and you will feel your behavior is reinforced by taking these steps.

Stop wasting your time! Give yourself a specific goal. Do this along with following a detailed competent plan and watch your fitness, weight-loss, and strength training goals become a reality!

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com

To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at: http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

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Free Goal Setting For Your Short Or Long Term Goal Setting and Change Your Life

It is my intention for you to capture this free goal setting process that will simplify your short and long term goals and might even change your life within this article. The reality "In the writing of this article" I will be able to x off one of my own personal short term goals. You see how simple this may seem but on the other hand it really wasn't that easy. It surely did require some work and that my friend is the missing link that separates those that don't reach their goals.

The foundation that supports the growth of any idea is rooted by your personal desired goals. But what happened to those noble goals for our lives? Just to mention a few they may sound a little like this and I'm sure you can fill in the blanks I miss here:

1. Why was I passed by for that position in the company that I...?
2. Now that we are going to have a new child, I'll have to...?
3. I had no idea my brother would...?
4. If only .....?

And the list can go on for and eternity if you're stuck in the statistics that suggest 95 Percent of North Americans never write down their goals. Or you might be thinking "I write them down all the time but life happens and they dissolve before they come to pass." Of coarse life happens, that's the beauty of writing them down.

The point that writing them down is only the simple and easy part. It is all in the follow up where we fall short. When life happens we have a tendency to forget or move to the lower desire to achieve and shift our priorities. I we don't publicize our goals as the reminder they begin to disappear till they are far out of reach and become forgotten. Everyone that I have ever known has said at least once "When I was young I was going to ...".

So if you have seen your goals fly away again, maybe the follow-up is in order for a thorough evaluation about now. Lets define a list of the reasons why we weren't able to complete the tasks at hand. From the desk of grade school days it seems the five most popular questions to ask in an evaluation are simple. Who...What...When...How..and Why. Are you ready for a little self improvement?

This is the place that drives your belief into overdrive. Now you become empowered after you face all the objections with solutions to overcome and reach your selected goals. This will also define how your character holds up to your beliefs.

In a book by Stephen R. Covey, The Courage To Change, he talks about "Living the 7 habits". In there it refers to begin with the end in mind. "All things are created twice---first mentally, second physically. Individuals , families, teams and organizations shape their own future by creating a mental vision and purpose for any project. They don't just live day by day without a clear purpose in mind.They mentally identify and comment themselves to the principles, values, relationships and purposes that matter the most to them. A mission statement is the highest form of mental creation for and individual, a family, or an organization."

Do you have a mission statement for your short or long term goals? Can you see the end results and all that it takes to get there? Keep it simple and don't be misunderstood, it probably won't be easy but doable. I get to x this article off on my goal list now thanks to you. I'm real evidence that self improvement can change your life.

Married for over 24 years and raising six children has benifits, including the 8 grands. Renegade University
By Greg Mosey

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The Secret of Success Revealed by Ed Viesturs - Top Mountaineer
By Jai Kai
When it comes to setting goals no one sets them higher than Ed Viesturs and accomplishes them more successfully. On our journey to success, we can learn a valuable secret from this truly remarkable man. But first, let me tell you a little bit about Ed in case you are not familiar with his extraordinary feats. In the world of mountain climbing and mountaineering, Ed Viesturs is truly a hero. He has committed his life to this extremely dangerous and fascinating sport. For Ed, mountaineering is more of an obsession demonstrating and mastering principles of risk, perseverance, determination and patience. He exhibits a strict plan of action on his journeys, weather he summits a mountain or not. Ed Viesturs is well known for his extraordinary high-altitude ability and has climbed the world's most challenging peaks, including Annapurna, K2, and Mount Everest - which he has summited 5 times. National Geographic considers him one of the strongest high-altitude mountaineers on the planet, and Men's Journal calls him "the ultimate climbing machine."

Growing up in the flatlands of Rockford, Illinois, where the highest objects on the horizon were water towers, Viesturs became interested in climbing only after reading and being captivated by Annapurna, French climber Maurice Herzog's famous account of the 1950 first ascent of an 8,000-meter peak. "What I liked was that these guys had a goal and they just wouldn't give up. They spent months and months finding the mountain and then they climbed it. I'm a very goal-oriented person, and I like things that take a tremendous effort and time to accomplish," explains Viesturs.

When taking on these remarkable feats, Viesturs prefers to experience the mountain without reducing it to his level - climbing without the aid of supplemental oxygen. On May 12, 2005, he realized an 18-year goal to climb all 14 of the world's 8000-meter peaks under these conditions. He is one of only a handful of international climbers to complete this goal, and the only American in history to climb the world's six highest peaks without supplemental oxygen.

So what is the secret to success and his accomplishments? Well his success is directly linked to his technique. He is known for his sensible approach to dangerous undertakings, and remains true to his motto, "Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory." With the belief that the mountain determines his success, Viesturs will turn around if the conditions do not meet his exacting standards, as he did in 1988, 180 meters from the top of Everest. The secret to success is that sometimes conditions are not favourable so he must actually quit his attempt to summit a mountain and thus realize that he did not actually succeed in achieving his goal. In fact sometimes he fails and he accepts that failure. He doesn't look at his journey as a failure but rather as a successful attempt because he made it back alive, enjoying and learning from the experience. It is like the old saying goes "It's not the destination that matters but the journey that counts". So, it is not the actual accomplishment of the goal, but it is the "taking action" , as you learn and enjoy every step of the way. We can all benefit from this philosophy in whatever goal we desire to achieve. We will have failures and not always accomplish our goals at a specific time. The difference between success and failure, winners and losers, is that successful people/ winners continue to pursue their goals with complete determination, persistence and perseverance. Eventually when the timing is right and conditions are favourable your goals will be accomplished and you will have achieved your goal. That is the secret to success.

Get access to the world's top success coaches, gurus and leaders: check out what leadership coaching is all about. Receive updated news, new articles and amazing videos at http://www.sharingsuccess.tv

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